Borough Manager Position Back On The Table In Newtown

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, Pa. — The position of borough manager is back on the table in Newtown Borough.

At its August council meeting, a majority of the borough council said they are interested in revisiting the idea, which had been discussed by the prior council but not by the new council seated in January.

Council President Susan Turner placed the idea back on the table asking council if there was any interest in discussing it further.

“Having been in the president’s chair for seven months it’s very clear to me that we need a borough manager,” said Turner. “I spend about 20 hours a week at this job and I can’t keep all the balls in the air. We have a great team here. It’s not just me trying to do things, it’s everyone.
But it just feels to me like we’re not doing the community the service it needs.”

The borough employs a full-time secretary and a full-time treasurer, but many of the duties that would be handled by a borough manager fall to the council president.

“It’s clear to me that we need a borough manager,” said Councilor Emily Heinz. “When this was discussed last year by council I was a member of the public and I didn’t feel that strongly one way or another. I had nothing to base that on. Now that I have been on council for seven months it is very clear to me that we need a borough manager - a one stop shop for organizational, administration and all kinds of things. And that is the person you go to.”

Heinz pointed to the recent personnel transition impacting its zoning office as an example.

“Having a borough manager would have been a huge benefit to us, even just knowing what’s going on from one zoning officer to the next and being able to help that transition.”

In addition, Heinz said like Turner she spends most of her time doing organizational and administrative work.

“I ran for office to do other things - to help revitalize State Street, to improve pedestrian safety. Those bigger picture projects are becoming further and further in my rear view mirror,” she said.

Former Council President Tara Grunde-McLaughlin said in terms of coordination and big picture awareness having a borough manager or similar position would be helpful.

“There are a lot of ways you can support the office staff,” she added. “There are a lot of boroughs that don’t have a manager, but they might have a financial director or somebody who takes zoning applications or somebody who coordinates with the secretary and the treasurer. You can have other titles and offload some of the office work or you could have a part-time manager. You need someone to have that big picture. There’s more than one way to do it.”

Councilor Amy Lustig added, “I’m in favor of it because I want our town to thrive and to be the best version of it. I would like to see someone who has experience in municipal affairs and who you can contact when you need information about running a borough. That will only improve the quality of life here.”

Citing the trash hauling discussion, Mayor John Burke encouraged council to explore the options, consider the costs and then let the public know what it is and then council can talk about it.

“I do have a new found respect for the president. I’ve worked with Sue, Tara, Bob Walker and Julia Woldorf. You do a lot of work - a lot. And you could not do that and have a job. It’s not possible. My thought is it doesn’t necessarily have to be a manager, but let’s look at all the options. Maybe we can create something that will bring out the best that we have here and we can all work efficiently and not be as burdensome to the president.”